System dedicated for parts cleaning

ABSTRACT

Examples of a system dedicated for parts cleaning includes a gas supply apparatus configured to supply a cleaning gas, a first adapter connected to a gas supply port of the gas supply apparatus, an exhaust system configured to exhaust the gas supplied from the gas supply apparatus, and a second adapter connected to a gas inlet of the exhaust system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/983,303, filed on Feb. 28, 2020 in the United StatesPatent and Trademark Office, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Examples are described which relate to a system dedicated for partscleaning.

BACKGROUND

In an apparatus configured to deposit or remove a thin film used tomanufacture a semiconductor or a liquid crystal, a large amount ofby-products may be deposited not only in a reaction furnace but also insubsequent-stage exhaust system components or pipes. The by-productscause clogging of exhaust pipes and damage to vacuum pumps, and greatlyaffect an operation rate of the apparatus.

The deposition is prevented or reduced in such a manner of raising atemperature of the entire exhaust pipe, or extending a cleaning time ofthe reaction furnace to clean the by-products in the exhaust pipe with acleaning gas passing through the reaction furnace. However, according tosuch a manner, a large amount of electric power is required. Further,since the cleaning gas passes through the reaction furnace, the amountof active cleaning gas reaching the exhaust pipe is small, and removalefficiency of the by-products is poor.

JP H1-307229 A discloses a method of introducing a cleaning gas in themiddle of an exhaust pipe and efficiently removing by-products from theexhaust pipe. However, according to such a method, since a cleaning unitshould be provided for each reaction furnace, costs increase, and theapparatus cannot be used at the time of cleaning of the exhaust pipe.

In any of above-described methods, a pipe portion evacuated by thevacuum pump and hard to be comparatively adhered with the by-productscan be cleaned, but an inside of a normal-pressure pipe on a secondaryside of the vacuum pump tends to be insufficiently cleaned. As a result,parts of the exhaust system are frequently disassembled and cleaned, orexternal vendors need to overhaul the parts of the exhaust system,resulting in increasing costs or reducing the operation rate of theapparatus.

SUMMARY

Some examples described herein may address the above-described problems.Some examples described herein may provide a system dedicated for partscleaning suitable for reducing costs and improving the operation rate ofan apparatus.

In some examples, a system dedicated for parts cleaning includes a gassupply apparatus configured to supply a cleaning gas, a first adapterconnected to a gas supply port of the gas supply apparatus, an exhaustsystem configured to exhaust the gas supplied from the gas supplyapparatus, and a second adapter connected to a gas inlet of the exhaustsystem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration example of a system dedicated forparts cleaning;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of thesystem;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a partialconfiguration of the system;

FIG. 4 shows a system diagram;

FIG. 5 shows a system diagram;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of use of the system;

FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of CVD tool; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of parts cleaning.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A system dedicated for parts cleaning will be described with referenceto the drawings. The same or corresponding components are denoted by thesame reference numerals and description thereof may not be repeated.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of asystem dedicated for parts cleaning. The system includes a gas supplyapparatus 10 configured to supply a cleaning gas and an exhaust system20 configured to exhaust the gas supplied from the gas supply apparatus10.

According to an example, the gas supply apparatus 10 supplies a highlyreactive halogen-based gas as a cleaning gas. According to anotherexample, the gas supply apparatus 10 supplies NF₃ or CFx (x is apositive integer) through a plasma-excitation-type cleaning unit.According to further another example, the gas supply apparatus 10supplies any gas used to clean the parts. A remote plasma unit (RPU) canbe used as the plasma-excitation-type cleaning unit. The gas supplyapparatus 10 may include a gas box that stores the cleaning gas, acontroller box that controls an operation of supplying the cleaning gas,and an electric box that functions as a power supply.

According to an example, the exhaust system 20 includes an auxiliaryvacuum pump 20 e. The exhaust system 20 includes an exhaust path via theauxiliary vacuum pump 20 e and an exhaust path not via the auxiliaryvacuum pump 20 e. The exhaust system 20 includes first pipes 20 a and 20f configured to join a gas inlet I1 and a first exhaust outlet O1 of theexhaust gas to each other. The auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e is provided inthe middle of the first pipe. A primary side of the auxiliary vacuumpump 20 e is connected to the first pipe 20 a, and a secondary sidethereof is connected to the first pipe 20 f A second pipe 20 b is a pipeconfigured to join a portion of the first pipe 20 a between the gasinlet I1 and the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e to a second exhaust outletO2.

A first valve 20 d is a valve that opens and closes a gas passage of thefirst pipe 20 a without disturbing a gas flow of the second pipe 20 b. Asecond valve 20 c is a valve that opens and closes a gas passage of thesecond pipe 20 b without disturbing a gas flow of the first pipe 20 a.

The first exhaust outlet O1 and the second exhaust outlet O2 areconnected to an exhaust gas treatment apparatus 30 provided as plantfacilities, for example. The exhaust gas treatment apparatus 30 is aknown abatement apparatus, for example.

Parts 40 to be cleaned connected between the gas supply apparatus 10 andthe exhaust system 20. The parts 40 to be cleaned are, for example, atleast one of a pump, a valve, and an exhaust pipe which are removed froma semiconductor or liquid crystal substrate processing apparatus and aredeposited with by-products therein. According to another example, theparts 40 may be components in which the pump, the valve, and the exhaustpipe are combined.

According to an example, a first adapter 16 is connected to a gas supplyport of the gas supply apparatus 10. The first adapter 16 makes itpossible to connect the parts 40 and the gas supply apparatus 10.Further, according to the example, a second adapter 18 is connected tothe gas inlet I1 of the exhaust system 20. The second adapter 18 makesit possible to connect the parts 40 and the exhaust system 20. The firstadapter 16 and the second adapter 18 make it possible to connect theparts 40 and the system dedicated for parts cleaning without gasleakage. Such a connection allows the system to have vacuumairtightness.

According to an example, a pressure control valve 14 is provided in apipe 12 configured to connect the gas supply apparatus 10 and the firstadapter 16. When the gas supply apparatus 10 includes an RPU, it isnecessary to create a pressure suitable for plasma ignition at asubsequent stage. Such a pressure can be realized by making full use ofthe pressure control valve 14.

According to an example, a temperature sensor can be attached to theexhaust system 20. In the example of FIG. 1, a temperature sensor 20 gis attached to the first pipe 20 a. The temperature sensor 20 g can beprovided to prevent overheating of the component due to reaction heat ofcleaning. For this purpose, the temperature sensor 20 g can be providednear the exhaust gas inlet I1. According to another example, thetemperature sensor 20 g can be attached to a plurality of locations ofthe exhaust system 20. When the temperature sensor detects that thetemperature of the exhaust system 20 has become higher than apredetermined temperature, an interlock can be applied to stop theoperation of the system dedicated for parts cleaning.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of thesystem dedicated for parts cleaning illustrated in the block diagram inFIG. 1. The system dedicated for parts cleaning is a stand-alone typecleaning apparatus. In other words, the system dedicated for partscleaning is exclusively used for cleaning, and has no function ofsubstrate processing. The gas supply apparatus 10 is provided at anupper stage of the system dedicated for parts cleaning. According to anexample, the gas supply apparatus 10 may include a remote plasma unit(RPU) 10 a, a gas box 10 b that stores a cleaning gas, a controller box10 c that controls an operation of supplying the cleaning gas, and anelectric box 10 d that functions as a power supply. A gas box exhaustpipe 10 e is connected to the gas box 10 b. The gas box exhaust pipe 10e is a pipe that is provided to prevent the inside of the systemdedicated for parts cleaning from becoming a positive pressure.

At a lower stage of the system dedicated for parts cleaning, a coolingwater valve 49 for opening and closing a circulation path of coolingwater, the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e, and the parts 40 are provided. Anexample of the parts 40 to be cleaned is a vacuum pump. The vacuum pumpto be cleaned is referred to as a target pump. Any part other than thetarget pump can be provided as an example of the parts. The parts 40 canbe attached to and detached from the system dedicated for parts cleaningin a manner of sliding in a direction of an arrow. After the parts 40 isincorporated into the system dedicated for parts cleaning and issubjected to cleaning, the parts 40 are taken out of the system. Then,another parts 40 is incorporated into the system and is subjected tocleaning.

Below the gas supply apparatus 10, the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e and areceiving area 40A configured to receive the parts 40 are provided. Whenthe parts 40 is a vacuum pump, the receiving area 40A can be providedbeside the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e. In this example, the vacuum pumpand the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e are adjacent to each other. Accordingto an example, the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e is present in an areanarrower than the receiving area 40A.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a partialconfiguration of the system dedicated for parts cleaning. A cleaning gasis supplied to the parts 40 by a pipe extending substantially in avertical direction from the RPU 10 a. A pipe branched from the pipeextending in the vertical direction at a branch portion 12 a makes itpossible to clean a primary side of the parts 40 using the auxiliaryvacuum pump 20 e.

This will be described with reference to a system diagram of FIG. 4. Inan example of FIG. 4, the parts 40 includes a target pump. By the branchportion 12 a, the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e is operated withoutoperating the target pump, and thus a vacuum can be created on theprimary side of the target pump. In a situation where the target pumpdoes not operate or does not rotate due to the by-products, a vacuum canbe created on the primary side of the target pump by the operation ofthe auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e so that the cleaning gas can flow. Whenthe by-products adhered to the target pump are removed or partiallyremoved by the operation of the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e, the targetpump can be operated. When the target pump can be operated, the cleaningof the target pump can be facilitated by the operation of the targetpump. If the target pump can be operated from the beginning, theauxiliary vacuum pump is not necessary.

In the example of FIG. 1, when the target pump is connected as anexample of the parts 40, the target pump is rotated in a state where thesecond valve 20 c is opened and the first valve 20 d is closed to createa necessary vacuum. In this case, the second pipe 20 b serves as anexhaust path of the cleaning gas. When the target pump does not rotate,for example, the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e is operated in a state wherethe first valve 20 d is opened and the second valve 20 c is closed toprovide necessary vacuum. In this case, the first pipes 20 a and 20 fserve as exhaust paths of the cleaning gas.

FIG. 5 is a system diagram illustrating a configuration example of thegas box. In this example, the gas box 10 b controls a flow rate of a gassuch as Ar, NF₃, N₂, or O₂ using a mass flow controller and supplies thegas to the RPU 10 a. According to such an example, the cleaning gas ofwhich flow rate is controlled by a gas control system can be supplied tothe target.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of use of the systemdedicated for parts cleaning. In step S1, a vacuum pump is prepared.Next, in step S2, the vacuum pump is connected to a film-depositionapparatus and used for a process by the film-deposition apparatus. Thefilm-deposition apparatus is, for example, a CVD tool or an ALD tool. Instep S2, the vacuum pump can be used not only in the film-depositionapparatus but also in an apparatus for etching or film reforming.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an apparatusused for the process of step S2. The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 7 isconfigured as a CVD tool. The CVD tool includes a chamber 50 that is areaction furnace. According to an example, a susceptor 52 and a showerhead 54 are provided in the chamber 50 to face each other. A gasintroduction tube 58 is connected onto the shower head 54 via aninsulating component 57. A first gas source 59 a and a second gas source59 b supply an arbitrary gas into the gas introduction tube 58.According to an example, TESO is stored in the first gas source 59 a,and O₂ gas is stored in the second gas source 59 b. An RPU 62 isconnected onto the gas introduction tube 58 via a gate valve 60. Plasmafor cleaning can be supplied to the gas introduction tube 58 from theRPU 60 in a state where the gate valve 60 is opened.

Film-deposition processing proceeds when the gas supplied from the firstgas source 59 a and the second gas source 59 b to the gas introductiontube 58 is supplied to a substrate on the susceptor 52 through slits 54a of the shower head 54. The gas used for film-deposition spreadsradially on the susceptor 52 in plan view, and advances to an exhaustpassage 56 a provided by an annular exhaust duct 56 in plan view. Thegas in the exhaust passage 56 a passes through an exhaust opening 56 band is guided to the abatement apparatus by the parts 40, which areexhaust components. According to an example, the parts 40 includeexhaust pipes 40 a, 40 c, and 44 e, a valve 40 b, and a vacuum pump 40d. An adapter 42 is provided at a first end of the parts 40 in whichthese components are connected in series, and an adapter 44 is providedat a second end thereof. The adapter 42 makes it possible to connect theparts 40 to an exhaust portion 50A of the chamber 50. The adapter 44makes it possible to connect the parts 40 to the abatement apparatus.

When the substrate is processed by the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 7,by-products are deposited on the parts 40. In periodic cleaning usingthe RPU 62, the by-products deposited inside the chamber 50 can becleaned. However, since the cleaning gas is supplied from the RPU 62 tothe parts via the shower head 54 and the pressure control valve providedat an arbitrary position, the gas tends to be deactivated by the time itreaches the parts 40. Accordingly, the parts 40 can hardly besufficiently cleaned with the configuration as illustrated in FIG. 7.

In step S2 of FIG. 6, for example, the film-deposition processingdescribed with reference to FIG. 7 is performed, and as a result, theby-products are deposited on the parts 40. In step S3, the parts 40deposited with the by-products are detached from the film-depositionapparatus. For example, a complete set of the exhaust pipes 40 a, 40 c,and 44 e, the valve 40 b, and the vacuum pump 40 d is detached from thefilm-deposition apparatus.

Subsequently, the parts are incorporated into the system dedicated forparts cleaning in step S4. For example, the parts 40 are connected tothe system dedicated for parts cleaning illustrated in FIG. 2. In theexamples of FIGS. 4 and 5, a complete set of the exhaust pipes 40 a, 40c, and 44 e, the valve 40 b, and the vacuum pump 40 d or at least a partthereof is incorporated as the parts 40. The parts 40 to be incorporatedinto the system dedicated for parts cleaning are components for whichthe by-products need to be removed. Then, the parts 40 are cleaned bythe system dedicated for parts cleaning described above, and theby-products deposited on the parts 40 are removed. In the systemdedicated for parts cleaning, the cleaning gas supplied from the gassupply apparatus 10 directly reaches the parts 40 without passingthrough the shower head and the chamber, and thus the by-products of theparts 40 can be efficiently removed. In one example, since the systemdedicated for parts cleaning is installed in a plant, the parts can beefficiently cleaned at the work site without an overhaul such ascleaning from vendors. The parts can be quickly cleaned at low cost bythe system dedicated for parts cleaning.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of parts cleaning in stepS4. First, the target pump is connected to the system dedicated forparts cleaning in step S40. Then, the operation of the auxiliary vacuumpump 20 e is started in step S41. Subsequently, N₂ gas is supplied fromthe gas box to purge the pipe in step S42. Next, the cleaning gas issupplied from the gas supply apparatus 10 in step S43, a base pressureof the auxiliary vacuum pump 20 e is measured in step C1. The cleaningin step S43 is continued until it is detected in step J1 that the basepressure is low enough. When it is detected in step J1 that the basepressure is low enough, the process proceeds to step S44, and theoperation of the target pump is started. Thereafter, in step S45, thecleaning of the target pump is continued by supplying the cleaning gasfrom the gas supply apparatus 10 while operating the target pump. Whenit is checked in step C2 and step J2 that the base pressure of thetarget pump is low enough, the process proceeds to step S46. In stepS46, N₂ gas is supplied from the gas box to purge the pipe.Subsequently, a back fill is performed in step S47, and finally, in stepS48, the target pump is detached from the system dedicated for partscleaning.

When the parts are detached from the system dedicated for partscleaning, the cleaned parts illustrated in step S5 of FIG. 6 can beobtained. The cleaned parts are incorporated into the apparatus such asa film-deposition apparatus for processing the substrate, and anoperator operates the apparatus.

1. A system dedicated for parts cleaning, comprising: a gas supplyapparatus configured to supply a cleaning gas; a first adapter connectedto a gas supply port of the gas supply apparatus; an exhaust systemconfigured to exhaust the gas supplied from the gas supply apparatus;and a second adapter connected to a gas inlet of the exhaust system. 2.The system dedicated for parts cleaning according to claim 1, whereinthe gas supply apparatus is configured to supply a halogen-based gas. 3.The system dedicated for parts cleaning according to claim 1, whereinthe gas supply apparatus is configured to supply NF₃ or CFx (x is apositive integer) through a plasma-excitation-type cleaning unit.
 4. Thesystem dedicated for parts cleaning according to claim 3, wherein thegas supply apparatus includes: a remote plasma unit provided as thecleaning unit; a gas box in which the cleaning gas is stored; acontroller box configured to control an operation of supplying thecleaning gas; and an electric box configured to function as a powersupply.
 5. The system dedicated for parts cleaning according to claim 1,wherein the exhaust system includes: a first pipe configured to join thegas inlet to a first exhaust outlet; an auxiliary vacuum pump providedin the middle of the first pipe; and a second pipe configured to join aportion of the first pipe between the gas inlet and the auxiliary vacuumpump to a second exhaust outlet.
 6. The system dedicated for partscleaning according to claim 5, further comprising: a first valveconfigured to open and close a gas passage of the first pipe withoutdisturbing a gas flow of the second pipe; and a second valve configuredto open and close a gas passage of the second pipe without disturbing agas flow of the first pipe.
 7. The system dedicated for parts cleaningaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a pressure control valveprovided in a pipe configured to connect the gas supply apparatus andthe first adapter.
 8. The system dedicated for parts cleaning accordingto claim 1, further comprising: a temperature sensor attached to theexhaust system.
 9. The system dedicated for parts cleaning according toclaim 5, wherein the auxiliary vacuum pump and a receiving areaconfigured to receive a target pump to be cleaned are provided below thegas supply apparatus.
 10. The system dedicated for parts cleaningaccording to claim 9, wherein the receiving area is provided beside theauxiliary vacuum pump.
 11. The system dedicated for parts cleaningaccording to claim 9, wherein the auxiliary vacuum pump is present in anarea narrower than the receiving area.